


tick-tock

by 1004hrs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Zhang Yi Xing | Lay-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27457051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1004hrs/pseuds/1004hrs
Summary: In a world where soulmates are determined by a personal timer, Zhang Yixing faced a problem where his timer has been frozen for years.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13
Collections: Round 1 of Tales of the Lotus Fest





	tick-tock

0 — a single digit that has been greeting him each morning, reminding him of his solitude, an inescapable cocoon that he's been trapped in for years. He tried getting over the fact that he might never meet his soulmate; but the emptiness in his heart is too loud for him to ignore.

"I have to fix this. I have to."

Those were the words he told himself 7 years ago, the second month since he got his hands on the small timer device, in confidence that he'll find a way to sort his problem. Too bad for him the device proved him wrong, still frozen to this day.

He was 18 when it froze. After scanning his fingerprint on it, the device glitched. Random numbers flickered on the screen, until it finally showed a single digit; 0.

"We're very sorry for the inconvenience. I'm afraid we couldn't fix this." The technician told him. "We never had this problem before. Everyone's device worked fine."

_Everyone except me_ , Yixing thought.

"We could give you a refund."

"Thank you but no, it's fine. I'm sure it's just a small glitch."

The first few years, he kept checking it each morning after he woke up. It became a daily routine of his. However, due to the piling assignments and workloads, the habit died when he went to college. But ever since he graduated, he began doing it again.

Growing old each year isn't easy too. Whenever he was alone, he would wonder again and again to himself — What does this person look like? When will I ever get to meet them? Will I have to spend the rest of my life alone?

Somehow the thought of having to live the rest of his life alone scared him. The passing time made him anxious, every thought he has about not finding a partner hurts him slowly. It's as if his heart is punctured by needles, one at a time, eventually making a large gaping hole of nothingness.

Every morning, he'd wake up, and the first thing he does is to check the timer. Only to be disappointed a thousand times over.

Those around him always either tell him to give up or have faith. As if it was that easy to give up, to have faith. Easy for them to say, they're not the one in his shoes.

He doesn't want to seem desperate, literally the last thing he needs is a significant other. In the outsiders' point of view, he has his life figured out. But the sense of incompleteness won't seem to go away. With the pressure building up in him and the loneliness that crept each night… desperate isn't exactly the right word to describe his situation.

He once stopped obsessing over the frozen timer when he met a girl, a student from the engineering school when he was in his final year in college. Each time their eyes met, hers seemed to sparkle and it made him drown in their beauty. Often, he wondered if it was the lights reflecting off of them, or if she just has a whole galaxy in her eyes. She's enticingly beautiful and unknowingly, a feeling bloomed in his heart.

After making up his mind, and with the help of a few coincidental encounters at the library, he decided to approach her. Small conversations turned lengthy, until eventually, they started dating. It was one of the happiest moment in his life. Both his mind and his heart was filled with his love for her. And he thought finally, happiness found him. But something happened that scarred him — her timer's alarm ticked off and obviously enough, it wasn't for him.

"I'm sorry." Her voice almost came out as a whisper; her face flushed with guilt.

So many words unspoken stuck in his mouth. He couldn't bring himself to utter it, for he was afraid that he might tear up and end up begging for her to stay. Instead, Yixing let his ego take over and gulped down the lump in his throat.

"It must be tiring to fake your feelings toward me all this while." He let out a big sigh. "That's okay, you can drop the act now, the curtain's closed — it's over."

"Yixing… I'm sorry, I really am. And I _love_ you, truly." Her emphasis on the word 'love' disgusts him.

"Wow, really?" A painful laugh escaped his mouth, mocking her. "If you really did, you would stay and not leave because that stupid timer told you that you've found your 'soulmate'."

For the first time during the conversation, she looked at him and placed her hand on his right cheek. Pools of tears started to form in both their eyes. Yixing sensed that she was trying to move him closer but he refused and pulled her hand away. He faced her, eye to eye, his gaze sharp and taunting. "It's over."

He walked away holding back his tears; emotions jumbled up inside him like a messy knot of strings. The anger, pain and sadness made his chest heat up, but his palms cold as ice — his emotional pain manifesting physically. When he finally thought he could be eternally happy, life decided to shit on him.

The darkness in his room swallowed him and Yixing succumbed into the pain, eyes stung as trickles of tears made their way down his cheeks. Waves upon waves of feelings made him tremble, knees weak as he collapsed against the wall. He held his chest feeling the throbbing pain of a heartbreak.

"Thanks for the breakfast, mom. But really, you didn't have to do this, I'm a grown man."

"It's not like I do this everyday." She says. "Today's a special day, and I want you to start your day with a full tummy."

Yixing smiles, grateful to have a sweet and caring mother.

"What time does your café close today?"

"Hmm, I think around 6 in the evening."

"Come back home right after that okay? I'll prepare something to celebrate your birthday." She smiles brightly before clarifying. "Not your apartment, our house."

He nods in response.

"Happy birthday." She says as she pulls him into a hug. The warmth of her body in the chilly autumn morning gives him a sense of comfort for his ever-worrying heart.

The soft pitter-patter of the rain sounds uniform against the rooftop of his cafe. Staring out the window, he recalls the memories of his first date.

Due to his stubbornness of not wanting to bring an umbrella despite the weather report earlier in the day, they were running under the rain. Both of them went into a cafe, gaining some annoyed glances from the crews on shift seeing them leaving wet footsteps on the floor. It was then that he decided to open up a cafe. Initially, his goal was to have a personal space for the two of them where they won't be annoying anyone with their antics because he owns the place. As he told her his dreams, she listened intently and smiled at him. Yixing stared at her makeup-ruined-face and wondered how a human being could look so beautiful. For him, she was unreal. Of all the people he met, he swore that she was the most beautiful person he ever laid his eyes on.

"I'd be your first customer," linking her pinky finger with his, she said, "promise."

Yixing smiles to himself, feeling bitter about how things turned out between them but still grateful for her and the memories they share. Shaking off the thoughts, he checks his phone — 6.05 p.m.

Something about the rain seems calming for him, having him walking slowly watching the raindrops hitting the ground. For once, after a long time, his mind feels empty. No worries, nothing. Just him, walking in the rain, a little cold but a lot calmer than before. Maybe it's because he finally decided to not worry too much about searching for a soulmate or maybe it's just because he never gave himself a chance to relax, not until now.

The streets are almost empty, less crowded than it usually is. It might be because of the rain; people just prefer waiting indoors for it to stop rather than going through it. But it isn't the case for Yixing, for he enjoys strolling along the city no matter how bad the weather is.

While waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green, he notices someone across the road drenched in the rain. Right beside where she is standing, there's a bus stop. Yixing is puzzled trying to understand why she would let herself get drenched rather than taking cover that's just two steps away from her.

Once the light turns green, he crosses the road and slowly makes his way towards her. Water trickles from the ends of her hair as if she's been standing there for hours.

After giving it a thought, he decides to approach her, close enough so he could share the umbrella.

"Excuse me… are you okay?" He asks.

She looks up, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I'm fine."

A small faint sound gradually gets louder. Not one, but two sounds, harmonising like a choir.

Their sense of realisation kicks in as their eyes widened in disbelief. Both of them fish out the devices from their bags hastily and stare at the timers, and then at each other.

_Time's up._

**December, 2020 [Four years later]**

A cloud of smoke forms as Yixing exhales through his mouth, looking up at the sky.

"Will it snow too today?" He asks no one.

"The weather report said it won't, apparently." An answer comes out of nowhere, unexpected by him. He turns around to find her. The one he met four years ago. The one drenched in rain. The one that made his timer rang.

She smiles. They stare at each other for a while, speechless. This meeting is the last thing that he expects today.

For some reason, his attention shifts to her left hand. Seeing something glistens on her ring finger, his lips form a genuine smile.

_I'm happy for you._

**Author's Note:**

> What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.  
> — Ellen Burstlyn
> 
> I came across this quote when deciding for the ending for my fic. And I do think that once you embraced yourself and learn how to love yourself, loneliness might not be the worse thing you'll face in life.
> 
> ~
> 
> For the one who wrote this prompt [LT398], this is for you. Thank you for writing the prompt, it was love at first prompt 💜 I hope you'll love this fic ^^
> 
> And thank you to the readers for taking your time to read my fic. Your comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


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